Exploring Tecumseh's new rec center

Sunday

Feb 10, 2013 at 3:15 PM

AJ Smith Recreation Center is open and operating

By David FrownfelderDaily Telegram Staff Writer

The city of Tecumseh has a full-fledged community recreation center.

With many programs and activities for the family, the 20,000-square-foot AJ Smith Recreation Center, 810 N. Evans St., is open for business. The center has housed the Tecumseh Parks and Recreation Department since Jan. 2 and was dedicated Jan. 17.

"The city now has something it never really had before," city manager Kevin Welch said. "The center is a great resource and is aimed at giving kids something to do and someplace to go after school."

Coming in the main entrance, visitors are greeted by Heather Rymanowicz, office manager for the parks and recreation department. Across the hall is the office for Shelley Lim, the city's director of cultural and leisure services, who jokingly calls herself "the director of fun." Recreation department programmers Gail Lakatos and Kyle Braunschneider also share the space.

To the left of the entrance is a commons area and lounge and the hallway leading to the Blue Gym — named because the trim around the activities floor is blue. To the right of the entrance is the hallway leading to the family center and on toward the Green Gym.

Both gyms can host basketball, volleyball and similar games. Table games can be set up in the family center, as an after-school gathering place. The center also has scheduled activities.

An open house has been scheduled for 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 22 so the community has an opportunity to visit the center and see what it has to offer.

At the Jan. 17 dedication, Lim said the staff members were excited at the prospect of working at the new center.

"This has been quite an exciting year," she said. "We've been here since Jan. 2, and have had a lot of people stop in to ask when we would be open. We are now in full operation."

Youth basketball programs are under way, and the center has adult drop-in sessions for basketball on Tuesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. through Feb. 26. Lim said visits are $5 per session.

Parents and guardians are invited to bring preschool-age children for the new Tot Lot program at the center. Lim said the program runs from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. Mondays at a cost of $2 per child. Adults are required to stay during the program to help supervise the children.

Free adult table tennis is scheduled for 7 p.m. each Wednesday through the winter. Walking Wednesdays started Feb. 6. This free event starts at 9:30 a.m. and is scheduled to last for two hours for 10 weeks, though people can come and go when they please, Lim said.

Also beginning this month are pickleball and badminton. Lim said pickleball is a combination of ping-pong, tennis and badminton and is aimed at people ages 16 and older. She described it as table tennis on the floor and it is scheduled for 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday mornings. The cost is $5 per person and equipment is available for those who don't have it.

Badminton for ages 9 to 15 years will also rotate between 5 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. It is scheduled for Tuesdays, Feb. 19 and 26, and March 5 and 12, with the cost of $35 for city residents and $45 for non-residents.

The telephone number for the parks and recreation department is 423-5602. A link to the department and the recreation guide is on the city's website, www.mytecumseh.org.

At the dedication, Lakatos said the facility does not have shower or locker room facilities. She said the gymnasium floors are designed for non-marking soled shoes only. Food and drink are allowed only in designated areas.Announcement of the new community center was made in January 2012. Construction started in May and was completed in time and on budget for the Jan. 17 grand opening. David Hickman, president of the LCF board, said the project fulfills an item that had been on the community wish list for many years.

"This is a real proud day for this community," he said at the dedication. "Now, we've got a facility that all ages of the community can enjoy."

The $2.3 million recreation center is named for a prominent Tecumseh resident on property his family donated to the city for use as a park. AJ Smith was an architect and an aviator. The center shares the parking lot with Community Arts of Tecumseh in the John W. Smith Park, named in honor of AJ Smith's father.

As one of the organizers of the Tecumseh Coalition for Youth, Mayor Dick Johnson said one of the goals of the group is to provide a safe and positive environment for the city's youth. He said the center provides an opportunity for young people to take part in expanded activities, "especially after school when other temptations are prevalent."

During the warm weather months, easy access to the recreation center and the CAT building is available by the walking and bike path sited along the east side of Evans Street from the bridge south of Burt Street, north to near Aebersold Drive. The master plan for the John W. Smith Park, adopted in 2008, includes a disc golf course, though that is still several years away, city officials have said.

Funding for most of the construction was provided from the Ruth V. and Ruth Anne Thompson Trusts through the Lenawee Community Foundation (LCF). The city borrowed the money with an interest rate of 2.9 percent and the foundation will make annual payments of $200,000 spread over 10 years.

Because the community center is on property already owned by the city, the city is supplying water and sewer service and the landscaping. Other costs to the city would be for future additions such as outdoor tennis courts, a rock-climbing wall and other projects.

According to the LCF, Ruth V. Thompson was married to John Thompson, and the family moved to Tecumseh in 1932 when he was hired to run United Savings Bank, the forerunner of United Bank & Trust. A group of local businessmen secured the approval and raised the money to reopen after the bank holiday of the Great Depression.